INSTRUCTIONS : BILL OF LADING (Form 1103)

To file a bill of lading with a shipping company, you must first obtain the carrier's specific bill of lading form.

1. You must contact the shipping company in order to obtain their bill of lading form.

2. Many shipping companies allow you to access these forms on their website.

3. If your selected shipping company does not have an online bill of lading form, you must physically obtain the document from the shipper. The process for filling it out will be very similar for either type.

In this case, we are using the example of the U.S. bill of lading form.

4. First you must identify your transportation company, also providing their Standard Carrier Alpha Code in boxes 1 to 4.

The next step for filling out the bill of lading form is to identify the shipping and receiving locations.

5. Identify where the item is being shipped from, providing the full address and name of shipper.

6. Next identify where the item is being shipped to, providing the full address and name of the receiving party.

7. This information must be provided in boxes 5 to 11.

Finally, you must provide the additional information your shipping company will need in order to complete the service.

8. You will need to identify the type of shipping method and how quickly you need the item to be received, and who will be billed in box 13.

9. You may also need to identify how many units you are shipping, their size and weight, and any special instructions for the carrier. This must be filled out in boxes 16 -22.

Once your form is adequately completed, you must submit the form.

10. If you are bringing the item or items to be shipped to the carrier, you will need to print out the bill of lading and bring it with you.

11. Alternatively, you can e-mail or fax the form to the shipping company, who will either wait for you to bring the shipping items or come to your location to pick them up.